Limestone
Limestone, also calcium carbonate or calcite, is a widespread raw material in Austria’s construction industry. High-quality limestone with a share of CaCO3 ≥ 95% is free for mining and is primarily used as industrial raw material in the cement industry and as slagging agent in steel production.
Of particular importance, however, is the manufacture of ground products from calcium carbonate, which are used as high-quality fillers in the paper, plastics, cosmetics and paint industry and are marketed word-wide. Limestone or its metamorphic equivalent marble is a popular basic material for art objects, for example for statues.
Limestone and marble are usually extracted in open-pit mining. State-of-the-art mining methods, like glory-hole mining with drop shaft and adit, contribute significantly to the environmentally friendly production of raw materials in Austria.
The current production data for Austria and the world can be found in the Austrian Montan-Handbuch and in the international statistics on raw materials, WORLD MINING DATA.